Baseball

Tharp’s five RBIs drive KU to baseball sweep

By Staff Reports

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Waco, Texas  Kansas University senior center fielder Tucker Tharp drove in a career-high five runs, and senior right-hander Frank Duncan allowed 13 hits but still picked up his fifth win of the year as KU completed a Big 12 baseball sweep of Baylor with an 8-5 victory Sunday at Baylor Ballpark.

Tharp was 3-for-4 with a walk and a double.

“After last weekend, everyone was pretty down,” Tharp said of the Jayhawks’ sweep by Oklahoma State. “It’s tough to come back after getting swept, especially when you’re right in the middle of the pack in the Big 12. It was good to bounce back and salvage that by getting three wins this weekend.”

“It was great to watch Tharp play today,” KU coach Ritch Price said. “He’s a team captain and now a three-year starter for us, and that might be one of the finest games he’s played at the University of Kansas. Let’s be real, we have a two-run lead and he hits the two-out, three-run double in the ninth to close the door. We needed those (runs) to hang on to win today.”

Sunday’s win was Price’s 600th at the Div. I level. Saturday, he picked up with No. 1,000 at all levels. Kansas improved to 9-3 against Texas schools this season and ended its Big 12 road schedule at 7-5.

“Today is all about the Kansas Jayhawks,” Price said. “When you go on the road to the Texas schools and the Oklahoma schools and find a way to be over .500 — it’s something you take a lot of pride in. It’s really difficult to win on the road in this great conference, and to come away this weekend with the sweep … it puts us back in the NCAA Tournament hunt. I can’t speak highly enough about the toughness and competitiveness from the guys in our dugout. I’m really proud to be associated with them.”

Duncan (5-2) allowed a season-high 13 hits but just two runs over 62⁄3 innings.

Dakota Smith went 3-for-4, and Colby Wright and Michael Suiter each had two hits for the Jayhawks.